Some facts about the elixir of blood – Kombucha + How to make Kombucha

There is so much known and so much unknown about Kombucha tea so here are some factoids ……

Kombucha tea is also known as:-

Manchurian tea

Russian tea

Kargasok tea

Fungus japonicas

sponge tea

tea fungus

and Kombucha Mushroom tea

This fermented tea is known to increase longevity and if taken regularly can reverse ageing– it is an elixir of life! It has been used for centuries. People lived into their 100′s in Tibet and it was never to be sold only passed on as a gift otherwise you would be doomed to a life of ill-fate! The Chinese called it hongchajun or the “Immortal Health Elixir“.

Russian scientists found that where people were immune to cancer was due to the fact that the people from these areas drank kombucha, they called it tea kvass. And the Japanese called it mocha kinoko.

I had to write a blog on this ancient healing elixir brew mainly because I just love making it and love the taste & affect it has on my body. It is often referred to as a mushroom but actually it’s not even a mushroom.

The only thing I could mention on this …. is remember to leave mush-room in your tummy for this delicious fizzy exotic taste bud tongue experience!!

It is easy and fun to make & is made from a few simple and affordable ingredients:-

organic tea bags(unbleached) or loose tea e.g. green tea – contains many antioxidants; or a simple good quality black tea; or white tea – contains 10 times more antioxidant power than vit E & polyphenols & catechins. You can mix the teas. But my favourite is the magickal jing & adaptogenic Gynostemma loose herbs made into a tea -see the benefits of this tea in this link http://www.yahwehsaliveandwell.com/gynostemmaleaf.html. This is caffeine free too!. So you can use other plants too of your choice without the caffeine . See video below.
But don’t use herbal tea.

spring water or the best water you can get hold of (but don’t use tap water) and a Mother (named so…because of its ability to reproduce) or Scoby – this is the actual kombucha culture – buy on line or get one from a kind kambucha brewer friend

wooden spoon – never use any metals around making this tea

ceramic pot (aluminium and stainless steel free)

sterile or extremely clean glass brewing jars up to 2-5 litres – Ikea is a good source – ceramic jars can leach out lead when brewing kombucha – so be careful

clean cotton unbleached cloth to cover the tops of the brewing jars

glass bottles to store your kombucha in – used water bottles are ideal

make sure your hands are clean from detergent soaps etc as the scoby will be contaminated easily with harmful toxins & dirty bacteria

As I mentioned before it is so easy to make at home and it can be fun so you can introduce it to your children too and the taste can be made to suit your own taste buds making different flavours and introducing different strengths too.

Some people like the kombucha more vinegary & some people like it sweeter.
Some commercial Kombucha teas have too much sugar in them so if you are buying any check the ingredients and stick to natural flavoured ones.Too much sugar defeats the health benefits of this magickal elixir.

The kombucha culture or Scoby ( Symbiotic colony of bacteria & yeasts) looks like and feels like a live jellyfish as it has blood type -vessels running through it and it is ALIVE. It usually takes on the shape of the container and varies in thickness depending on the age of it and the acidity of the brew. It is classified as a zoogleal mat .

Kombucha cultures regenerate every time they are used to brew. So each time you brew a new batch of kombucha the mother produces a baby! – another scoby.

This can be stored in a glass container with some remaining kombucha brew for sometime in the fridge or given to someone who would like to make kombucha tea.

The colour can vary too depending on what type of tea is used.

The Scoby is a living complex and a probiotic of life’s energy.

Kombucha is uniquely fermented simultaneously with yeasts and bacteria and in a aerobic (with oxygen) ferment.

It also contains :-

organic acids active such as the famous kombucha glucuronic acid

active enzymes

amino acids

polyphenols which are produced by the microbes

some B- vitamins

antioxidants

trace amounts of alcohol

yeasts

bacteria

The yeast part of Kombucha contains :-

Saccharomyces cerevisiae – stimulates the body’s immune system & contain Berkeley Bodies which are involved in particular secretory pathways. Antibodies against Sac cerevisiae are found in 60-70% of people with Crohn’s disease & @ 15% of people with ulcerative colitis.

Saccharomyces boulardi – is a probiotic & helps to maintain & restore the natural flora of the gut(see below about gut flora and formation of blood cells) . It is also found in Mangosteen & lychee fruit. It is also anti-inflammatory and has antimicrobial effects. It also induces the secretion of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the small intestine. IgA provides protection against invading microbes in the gut and lungs. This probiotic helps other probiotics to attach to the gut. And helps to reduce certain diarrhea bacterial infections such as Clostridium difficult

Brettanomyces bruxellensis –produces acetic acid

Candida stellata

Schizosaccharomyces pombe –

Torulaspora delbrueckii

Zygosaccharomyces Bali

Saccharomycodes ludwigii & apiculatus

Zygosaccharomyces kombuchaensis – this is a recent finding on the research of kombucha

The bacterial component of a kombucha culture usually consists of :-

Gluconacetobacter xylinus (formerly Acetobacter xylinum), which ferments the alcohols produced by the yeast(s) into acetic acid

G. xylinum is responsible for most or all of the physical structure of a kombucha scoby.

Bacterium gluconicum

Acetobacter –produces acetic acid & gluconic acid

xylinoides

Acetobacter

Ketogenum

The bacteria and yeasts in kombucha may also produce antimicrobial defense molecules e.g. Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, a bacterium related to G. xylinum, is known to produce an antimicrobial known as a bacteriocin.

So over-simplified….. the yeasts cleave the sugar into glucose and fructose. The yeasts produce alcohol from the glucose which the bacteria than convert to acetic acid. Both the yeast and the bacteria compete for the glucose which the bacteria convert to gluconic acid.

Also kombucha may contain all or some of the following :-

Acetoacetic acid

Benzoic acid

Propenyl ester

Benzonitrile

Butonic acid

Caffeine – can be caffeine free

Citric acid

Cyanocobalamin (B12)

Decanoic acid

Ethyl Acetate

Fructose

d-Gluconic acid – breaks down to capyrlic acid which is antibacterial

glucose

hexanoic acid

Itaconic acid

2- keto-gluconic acid

5-keto-gluconic acid

2-keto-3-deoxy-gluconic

lactic acid – helps to keep fungus , moulds under control

Niacin amide

nicotinic acid (B3)

Pantothenic acid (B5)

Riboflavin(B2)

Thiamin(B1)

pyridoxine (B6)

phenethyl alcohol

phenol

4-ethyl

6-phospho gluconate

Propionic acid

Butyric acid – protects human cell membranes & when combined with Gluconic acid strengthens the walls of the gut in order to help heal leaky guts

malic acid – helps the liver detoxify

Octanoic acid

Glucuronic acid – a powerful detoxifier of the liver particularly helping to eliminate phenols which have built up from residues from plastics & pesticides etc

Oxalic acid- encourages intercellular production of energy

d-Saccharic acid (Glurcaric acid)

Succinic acid

usnic acid – antibiotic qualities & partially antiviral

plus 40 other esters in trace amounts

So here are some of the health benefits of the elixir of life:-

balancing the metabolism

cleansing the blood Blood in Chinese medicine is seen as a moving force and a bridge to human consciousness . In Chinese Medicine blood is not only a life -giving substance circulating through out the body but it is seen as a force with sensitivities to the influence of Chi. So blood nourishes our very being and is very much dependent on the chi from our food & also the air we breath & our actions & thoughts . Our chi which will effect the BLOOD. It helps us to CONNECT…cell to cell from one to another living bee-ing. Chi is considered to be the commander of Blood, while Blood is the mother of Chi (mother = the wisdom of choosing what is good for us) .

Abd-ru-shin speaks of it ‘In the Light of Truth’, ‘Blood is meant to form the bridge for the activity of the spirit on earth‘.

detoxifying the body and enhancing the immune system & therefore preventing cancers(esp. with the glucuronic acid)

raising overall energy level due to the many factors mentioned especially the presence of enzymes too

increasing the gut flora of both the large intestine & small intestine, especially bifidobacteria(this also greatly enhances the health of the liver cells & fat metabolism too) & bacteroides– it is a probiotic. The small intestine is where blood cells are made so the health of the small intestine will affect our integrity of our blood too.

“Again blood is made in the intestinal villi in health from nutrient digested from the lungs combined with colloid digested from food eaten, and colloid grown from one’s own intestinal garden” and ” Perhaps some of 90% of all known systemic disease is due to or exacerbated by gastrointestinal dysbiosis“-David Jubbs

How to make kombucha tea :-

Because most people are deficient in gut flora these days and suffer from an over acidic body it is wise to start off with a glass of Kombucha tea daily and gradually increase the amount over a period of time just to see how your body responds.

Usually it has some amazing positive effects almost immediately . One thing is you will notice for sure is that you will pee much more! As it is a diuretic as well as a detoxifier, helping to reduce any water retention in the body. You may also notice an increase in energy or zing-jing!

It has been argued that there is no glucuronic acid in kombucha! But I believe acetic acid has a similar structure to glucuronic acid and and it could be argued that this may be the very reason why it was not proven to be present?

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written…..” Buddha

Just try it and see for yourself….

It is a tonic and a therapy in itself.
An elixir of life known for centuries by many other cultures.

AND IT IS ADDICTIVE you may become a kombucha-olic!!!

by Susan Laing

Susan Laing giving a talk on Iridology and Liver congestion at Gathering of Minds 10th May. We will learn how the Iris shows inflammation within the body. This is going to be a really insightful talk where we can learn how to keep our Liver free from congestion to give us optimum health and wellbeing.

Also experience a sound healing/activation from Award winning Tim Wheater andCherubas we meditate to the healing and cleansing sounds of the gong, chimes, flute, mantra and more.

Sonia Sophia will be flying in from Texas to give us an interactive talk on EFT/Tapping. EFT is a great way to clear blockages and help us break free from destructive thought patterns!

My new book called Kiss Keep It So Simple – Easy to digest, smooth, organic, goitrogen and nightshade family free, LifeFood recipes and advice for all inflammatory bowel conditions. With liver gallbladder cleanse.

Gathering of Minds is a movement based in London, all about sharing knowledge and information of alternative health and living. Check out our Monthly events in London which covers topics like Plant Medicines, Consciousness, Law of Attraction, Lucid Dreaming, Raw Food Demo’s & talks, Bio-nutrition, talks on Vitamins & Minerals and Natural Healing stories.

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